


Starlight's Bridge

by theabridgedkuriboh



Category: Future Card Buddyfight, Future Card Buddyfight Ace
Genre: Angst, High School AU, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-16 23:14:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20610956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theabridgedkuriboh/pseuds/theabridgedkuriboh
Summary: Yuga fears that he is drifting away from Ranma once again. He craves to be by his side once again, fearful that he will lose his starlight.





	Starlight's Bridge

**Author's Note:**

> This is a commission story for Aquarica. Thank you very much for commissioning me. I hope the story was worth the wait. I apologize for taking so long.

Title: Starlight's Bridge  
Pairing: RanGa  
Characters: Ranma Kakogawa x Yuga Mikado  
Commissioner: Aquarica

Ranma and I share a lot of moments together. Growing up, we played together. We studied together...sort of. We had the RanGa channel. But, we’re in High School now. We have separate classes. He was in a more advanced class, surrounded by people just as smart as he was, excelling in the world of media and video. It’s been a few weeks since we’ve hung out properly. So I’ve been hanging out with Masato and Subaru. But it isn’t the same without Ranma. Ranma is the light that shines through the rain clouds. I’m not sure if I’m the same for him, however. 

Ever since the time with Vile Ranma and Vanity Husk Destroyer, Ranma hasn’t been the same. He’s been trying so hard to be the old Ranma he used to be. Cheerful and kind, yet powerful. I wanted the same. To forget the past and move on together. But, you can’t forget the past. Ranma was depressed. I made him depressed over my actions. I understand that now. He was hurting and became Vile Ranma to show his hurt. He hurt others because he was hurting. He wanted me to understand his pain by defeating me and climbing to the top without me. I did the same but in a different way. I had a buddy monster. I made tons of friends. I climbed the ranks. He stayed on the sidelines, cheering me on in envy and jealousy. I was, in retrospect, leaving him behind. I never intended to do that, but Ranma saw it that way, and in turn, he began to overthink, and his thoughts escalated into a darkness of its own. 

Lost world. It fit Ranma’s situation. He was lost in a world that he didn’t recognize. A world where we suddenly drifted apart and he was alone again. His parents were never home due to work, so his house was always dark and quiet. There was no love. No light. No hope. That’s why we, mom and I; always love it when Ranma comes over and stays the night. We both care for him and don’t want to see him alone in that prison. We would stay up for hours and Buddyfight, eat some snacks and have a pillow fight. Typical kid stuff. We never bore of each other. It was always smiles between the two of us. 

When did that suddenly stop? What happened to us that we slowly drifted? Watching Ranma explain himself during that first fight when he revealed himself as Vile Ranma. He was so distraught. He told me about his encounter with Vanity Husk Destroyer. How he was crying alone in his room, spiraling thoughts about himself, about me. He blamed himself for my drifting. That I made new friends to slowly avoid him overtime. That I climbed the ranks of Buddyfight so far that he could never reach me. His story about Vanity filling him mind with even worse thoughts. That he was never enough for me and that everything we had together was fake. Lies on top of lies. It made my stomach turn. Ranma was dragged into a situation he shouldn’t have ever gotten involved in. 

That also made my own mind wander into dangerous thoughts as well. If I had chosen the other card pack. Would I have trusted Vanity? Would Ranma have done the same thing? Would we be looking across from each other on separate sides of the mirror? I couldn’t imagine myself pulling off that kind of thing. Hating Ranma? Wanting to hurt him? To destroy him? I couldn’t! The thought alone was just…

I shook my head. The breeze felt cool against my hot skin. It was early spring so it wasn’t deadly cold anymore but not blazing hot either. The creek that ran under the city’s dividing bridge ran swiftly downstream. Sections of the creek still had bits of ice that have yet to break down or melt. They clung to the sides of the creek, rocking to the wavelengths, jumping. I grab a rock from the side of the bridge entrance and throw it at the ice. It broke apart and was pushed downstream by the rapid water. 

Broken apart so easily by an outside force. The same can be said about life. Between Ranma and myself. We were like the ice, clinging together to our friendship. An outside source, Destroyer? Maybe Buddyfight itself? No. Think. Our own insecurities perhaps. They were thrown between us, yanking us apart. We drifted downstream, reaching for each other. But Ranma drowns first. The water fills his lungs and he suffocates from the pressure of his peers. Of his own mind.

But now, the one who is drowning is me. Ranma is the one who is slipping further and further away. Am I being left behind this time? Is life repaying me with a dose of karma that I was unprepared for? Ranma. Where has the time gone? 

When we were kids it was so easy to talk to you. My insecurities and my worries were nothing as long as you were there. My father being in and out of my life. No problem. You told me that my family was still whole. He was thinking about me from wherever he was in the world. My dad was still my dad in any part of the world. When people made fun of us for being each others only friend. You stood up for me. You said we were each other's best friend. We made up 500 friends put together, and that we didn’t need fake friends. You were my starlight. 

Friendship is forever. What we have can’t be broken. No one can take you away from me. You’re my everything, Ranma. 

My phone began to buzz in my pocket. It vibrates against my leg. Buzz. Buzz. Was it an important call? Do I have to answer it? I sigh. I reach into my pocket and grab my cell phone and answer it without even thinking.

“Hello?” 

A moment of silence. “You’re so careless, Yuga…” 

Ranma? “Careless? What are you…?” 

“Mikono cafe. At 15 hours. What happened? Have you really been here this whole time?” 

“Oh crap, its 15 already-wait. How did you know I was…” I turn to the other side of the bridge and there he was. Cell phone in hand and a smile on his face. His face is dusted a very soft pink. “Ranma~!” I wave my hand in the air. 

He waves back and strides over. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.” 

“It’s fine. I promised to meet you there. I guess I got a little distracted,” I reply. 

His smile falls slightly and he looks over the side of the bridge, folding his arms on the ledge and leaning against it. I follow him, taking the same stance. We look out onto the water and we listen to the sounds around us. The running water. The gentle breeze. Leaves rattling in the trees and fluttering across the grass. Chirping birds and Cicadas singing. It was a beautiful day. 

So, why did he look so down? Ranma? I move closer to him and jab my elbow into his side. “What’s wrong?” 

Ranma forces a half-smile. “We have so many memories here. I can’t help but look back whenever I come here.” He stops and looks up at the sun. I wonder what he sees in that gas ball? Does he just see the sun? Or does he have a similar view as me? The sun is more than a ball of gas to me. I see Ranma. Our future. Bright. Shining. 

God, I wonder who I get this cheesy crap from. Mom? Dad? Both? Tasuku?! I ran a hand through my hair and shake the thought out of my mind. Ranma sighs and I smile nervously. 

“When we were kids, we made a lot of good memories on this bridge that makes me smile looking back. When we saw that rainbow after the storm. It was so bright and beautiful. Something so simple made me so happy that I wanted to cry that day. You came after me, with that stupid smile on your face with an umbrella for me. It wasn’t even raining anymore. That’s the best part. It was too late. But you still gave it to me. You were so happy. I was happy. You’re so stupid, Yuga

“You befriended someone as lame as me. I was horrible to you. On this same bridge, I could have hurt you, or maybe even killed you. When Destroyer became my buddy and we tried to take over the Buddyfight world, we were so determined to hurt you. We wanted to make you pay for hurting me. I took all of my frustrations out on you. On the others. Everything was my fault.

“This bridge. This damn bridge has been our meeting spot. In the eye of the storm or the calm after. We were always ending up here. This bridge is our connection. Metaphorically and literally, we need this bridge. The bridge that connects the gap between us. 

“I need this place. Without this bridge, I don’t know how I’d ever reach you. You’re so far away from me. Despite being right there, you feel so far away. I want to be able to reach you. To touch you and say that you’re ‘here’ and feel confident that you won’t disappear. I don’t want to feel alone again.” 

Ranma folds his hands onto his crossed arms and buries his face from view. I can see him shaking. He’s crying. I begin to panic. I hate seeing him cry. I hesitate on what to do. Hold him? Is that too personal? Do I rub his back? Is that too impersonal? I can't decide. Everything runs through my head at once. 

My mind goes blank. I grab Ranma’s arm and he turns to face me. I grab his shoulders and he’s looking at me. His tear-stained face is bright red and a frown feels permanent on his face. My panic only deepens. My heart races. I move towards him…

I head butt him. Pain flows through me and I’m left dizzy. Ranma falls to the ground, holding his head, muttering in pain. 

“Owww. Yuga! What the hell!” Ranma shouts. 

That wasn’t supposed to happen. Out of all the options in my head THAT was the one I decide to do. Really?! 

I kneel down and lend a hand to Ranma. Ranma slowly takes my hand, but before I can pull him back up. He pulls me down. 

I feel his warmth on my skin. His fingers tracing my cheek, mapping out my hair and jawline. His lips, soft, and a little chapped. His kiss was gentle but firm. He was telling me everything. He was worried. He was scared. He was longing. 

He pulls away, his fingers ghosting over my chin before slowing releasing and falling to the floor. He stares up at me, his face red and a small smile. I look at him in surprise. My face felt hot. No doubt it was red as my hair. I was still kneeling over him. He was beneath me, comfortable and confused. 

“Ranma,” I say breathlessly. 

Ranma smiles a whole smile, cheeky and full of laughter. He wipes his tears away and leans in closer so that he was inches away. “That’s what you should have done to comfort me, Mikado Yuga. As dense as his father.” 

I frown. I cup Ranma’s cheeks in my hands and capture his lips. I will NEVER be as dense as my father. Ever. 

Ranma’s lips were salty from his tears, but they were still sweet in a way. A bittersweet like sour candy. Ranma wraps his arms around my neck and pulls me closer. This closeness was addicting. And yet, it wasn’t enough. He pulls away. I go back in and kiss him again. And again. And again. 

“Yuga,” Ranma mutters between kisses. He grabs my shoulders and forces me back. I was blind. Drunk, on Ranma. This closeness. It was everything I wanted and more. Why is he stopping me? “What are we doing?” 

I rub my thumb against his cheek and look into his eyes. He wasn’t in pain anymore. He wasn’t sad. He was Ranma. The other half of our ice glacier. The caramel to my pudding. You get it. He was everything good about my life. 

And we just kissed. Multiple times. 

My face explodes in embarrassment. My hands twitch, not knowing what to do. Ranma looks at me with concern. What if he hates me now? No. That can’t be, right. He kissed me first. My mind is spiraling. 

“Yuga?” He says again. “We can’t just stay here. Miko is waiting for us at Mikono Cafe. We’re supposed to be studying together. We have to go.” He waves a hand in front of my face. 

Oh! That’s right. I check my phone. It’s 15:43 pm. Five texts and two missed calls. Even Subaru tried to reach out to me, which is rare. 

“Do we HAVE to study?” I ask. I pull him close to my chest and run my fingers through his hair. It was soft. Like a child’s blanket. He pushes away from me again and stands up from our spot on the bridge. 

“With your grades in Chemistry? I would think so,” Ranma remarks. 

It's true. My chemistry grade right now is so bad, it makes me wonder how I have been able to progress this far into high school. 

“Wait, are you just saying that to avoid the fact that you kissed me?” I retort. 

Ranma’s face slowly turns bright pink and he turns away. “No. Of course not. That doesn’t have anything to do with it. Stop changing the subject. Just hurry up and grab your bag.” 

I smile and grab my stuff. Ranma was very cute. He might not notice it, but he doesn’t have to try so hard to be the old Ranma. The “old Ranma” never left. He’s been here this whole time. He’s still my starlight. Ranma is just growing up. Maturing. Becoming an adult. I wonder if my dad ran into this kind of problem growing up? I walk beside Ranma, gazing at his face. He’s smiling. Any darkness he held on his shoulders prior has lifted for now. 

I reach for his hand and lace our fingers together. He lightly squeezes back in response. 

This closeness. We both craved it. The distance we have suffered together has made the heart grow fonder. I don’t know what this is I feel in my heart for Ranma. Infatuation? Obsession? Love? I don’t know yet. But I do know that what Ranma and I have gone through, it was together. And we’ll continue to fight our futures. Together.


End file.
